1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to bridging technology that allows a wireless communications device to operate with at least two different wireless communication standards.
2. Description of the Related Art
The variety and availability of consumer electronic devices have created a need for a universal communications standard. The high cost and impracticality of providing a universal wired connection for all types of available electronic devices render wired technologies an unlikely vehicle to satisfy such a standard. Furthermore, retrofitting a universal wired standard into the quagmire of non-standardized infrastructure presently in place in homes and businesses would likely come at a significant cost and further supports the impracticality of such a standard. Additionally, wired technologies do not allow users to freely move about with their tethered devices. The Uniform Serial Bus (USB) standard is one example of a universal wired connection approach that is currently available. However, this standard requires a hard wire connection between itself and a communications device. Each such device, then, is required to have a cable of some kind in order to connect it to the USB. Thus, wired technologies are not likely to provide a viable solution to the growing need for a universal communications standard.
As an alternative to wired technologies, various wireless technologies are presently available. Wireless technologies provide the flexibility and mobility lacking in the wired technologies. However, incompatible communication standards employed by these various wireless technologies have limited their universal acceptance by users. More specifically, suppliers of configurable products (such as computers) are limited in the products they can supply because the interoperability between the various consumer electronic devices that make up those products is limited. For example, a first wireless computer peripheral (such as a hand-held personal information manager) employing one proprietary protocol may not function properly with a second computer peripheral (such as a wireless keyboard) employing another proprietary protocol that operates within the same frequency range. Thus, the supplier is limited to using either the first or the second PC peripheral, but not both.
In response to this problem of interoperability among the various wireless devices, several new universal open specification standards have come into play in the field of wireless communication technology and are rallying for global acceptance. These standards, such as Bluetooth, Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP), IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15, are intended to facilitate protected ad hoc wireless connections between PCs and consumer electronic devices in various communication environments. One frequency band in which such standards can operate is the license-free Instrumentation, Scientific and Medical (ISM) frequency band above 2.4 GHz. Spread Spectrum radio frequency (RF) technology and, in particular, frequency hopping schemes, are utilized for secure and robust wireless communications. These open specification standards may eventually result in a global standard by which all wireless communication is performed.
In view of these universal wireless communication standards, users will ultimately be able to connect to a wide range of computing and telecommunication devices easily without the need for any proprietary cables that connect one device to another. For example, a cellular phone employing Bluetooth technology could communicate with a Bluetooth compatible computer without the need for a hard wire connection between the two devices. However, some less ubiquitous wireless communication standards (e.g., those operating in the 27 MHz or 900 MHz range) nonetheless continue to enjoy success in the market place. Moreover, conversion of an entire product line from an established low cost standard to a universal standard such as SWAP or Bluetooth would involve significant labor and additional cost, as well as potential loss of established market share. Thus, there exists a need to provide a dual purpose bridge that allows a wireless communications device to operate using either the less ubiquitous wireless communication standards or the universal wireless communication standards.
Therefore, what is needed is a technology bridge that (1) provides dual mode operability of wireless devices; (2) allows both a ubiquitous wireless communication standard and a universal standard to operate for a particular wireless communications device; and (3) shares resources between the operable communication standards to reduce the cost of implementing any one standard.